Rubies and Iron
by haythamkenway316
Summary: Pelinal Whitestrake, famous hero of Men and infamous villain to Mer must go through a penance after his death at the hands of his enemies. The Divines who he fought for decide to send a weakened now mortal version of their Crusader to the one land that is as blood soaked as Tamriel,the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
1. Chapter 1

**AN- Hello everybody! It's time for my glorious return to writing! I would like to apologize for my absence. I have not had a computer for nearly the entire summer, and as such I was unable to do anything other than occasionally check my stories and answer a couple messages. Any way, I decided to return with a new story, one that takes my favorite video game and crosses it over with my favorite T.V. Series. I own neither the Elder Scrolls, or Game of Thrones, but that would be very nice. Any ways, remember to leave a review. and I hope you enjoy!**

 **Blood and Steel**

 **White Gold Tower, _1E 243-_** Two demi-gods, titans of battle and bloodshed attempted to destroy each other, in a day that all would remember. Umaril the Unfeathered, the Blasphemous, attempted to defeat Pelinal Whitestrake, the Divine Crusader. The half elven blasphemer brought down his gigantic blade onto the Crusader's shield, who winced at the strength of the blow, due to the injuries received from Umaril's troops.

"As balangua Ehnada racuvar!" The Ayleid king shouted in his native tongue.. Pelinal then pushed with all his might against him, knocking the much lager elf away.

"I will not loose today Umaril! Face your death!" He screamed, charging at the exposed Umaril, slicing his chest with the divine sword he wielded. Umaril screamed in pain, before putting his sword into the left arm of the crusader, causing him to drop his shield. Pelinal quickly grabbed his mace and brought it down upon the Elf's head. Pelinal then grabbed the featherless wings of the blasphemer, and with what was left of his strength, broke them off, and watched the life fade from Umaril with his dying gasp.

"I damn you to this fate you Umaril, as it is the deserved fate of all those whose ancestors came off the ships from cursed Old Ehlnofey!" The Crusader said, only to grow quiet as he saw the enraged faces of the remaining Ayleid kings.

"You shall pay dearly for your insolence, Whitestrake! You have insulted us for the last time!" One of them said, as they all pounced atop the crusader. Pelinal's screams would be heard through out the province, as he was torn into eight pieces by the elves.

 **Aetherius, and unknowable time later-** Pelinal awoke, after what felt like a year of sleeping. He looked around, and took in his surroundings. He was in a field, and in the distance he could see a hall.

"Shor's hall, I must be in Sovngarde." He said, as he went to stand up. As he attempted to rise, He felt a great weight hold him down, and he saw nine misty figures step in front of him. One by one they revealed themselves. Akatosh, Mara, Kynareth(Kyne), Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Stendarr, Zenithar, and Shor himself.

"Hello, Crusader. Do you know why we hold you down?" Kyne said, as Pelinal tried to will his way up, partially succeeding.

"No, I only wish to enter the Hall of Valor, as is my right as a warrior." He said, managing to get on his knees.

"Yes, it would be your right, had you not committed so many sins." Akatosh said, shocking the knight.

"But, everything I have done is in the service of the Divines!" He exclaimed. Each of the divines shook their heads, all with a great sadness in their souls.

"Yes, you have. You have also spread violence and pain in your anger, and in our name." Mara spoke.

"But, I was made to fight the elves, wasn't I?" Pelinal asked, trying to convince both the divines, and himself, that he was not as terrible as they thought.

"No, you were made to be a hero to men, not to massacre entire cities!" Arkay responded. Pelinal looked down, his face showing his shame.

"But, if I do not go onto the Hall of Valor, what do I do?" He questioned. Stendarr then stepped forward, and laid a comforting hand on the knight's shoulder.

"We have created a penance for you to absolve you of your sins." The god of mercy said. Pelinal looked up and his face was hopeful again.

"What is my penance? I'll do anything to be able to go into the hall of my father." He said, as he looked at Shor, who had been silent so far.

"You will be sent to a new world, where you will be stripped of your powers, and your relics will loose their special abilities. Your redemption shall be you living the life of a mortal" Zenithar said.

"As you slowly redeem yourself, we may grant you your powers for short periods of time, or your artifacts may regain some of their lost power. If you can truly prove yourself worthy in this new mortal life, we will welcome you back to Aetherius." Julianos added. Pelinal nodded, and then turned to his father.

"Father, is this the only way you will welcome me into your halls?" He asked. Shor turned to face his son. They looked a bit a like, both with white hair and clean shaven faces. Shor though, unlike the other Aedra, was a ghostly image, as his physical body had been slain at the Red Mountain many years prior.

"Yes, star born warrior. This is the path you are given. You will be given all the wisdom and knowledge you need for this knew world from Julianos. Go forth, and redeem yourself." He answered, raising his hand in sync with the other Aedra, as a portal opened behind Pelinal, and the weight that held him down left.

"I will, and I will some day return and be able to walk into those halls as a true warrior." Pelinal said, before turning to face the portal. He took a deep breath in, and walked forward, disappearing into the swirling vortex.

 **The North, _285 AL-_** Pelinal once again awoke in an unfamiliar place, this time in the woods, though he could clearly see the road through the trees. He stood up and made his way to the clearing, making note of the fact that his armor and weapons were gone, and he was wearing a quilted doublet and regular pants and shoes. When he got to the road, he saw a box next to a sign post with arrows pointing in different directions with names on them. The Crusader picked up the box and opened it, revealing two maps, one of Westeros, and the other, more in depth one of the North.

"Hmm, so this is The North. It reminds me of Skyrim." Pelinal thought as he looked at the map and the signs. He then saw a red diamond on the map of the North, slightly west of Winterfell. He looked at the signs, and the the one pointing south was to the capital of the north. Pelinal folded up the maps and put them in his pockets, before heading south. Unknown to him, the same Gods that had banished him here still watch over him. Shor and Akatosh seemed to be paying very close attention to the demi-god

"He is going to change this new world, whether for better or worse we shall see." The Dragon God of Time said. Shor nodded towards his once foe, and then sighed.

"It is true, now Westeros has the Divine Crusader. Now, it shall truly be a time to see if the dragon with in him can lay dormant, or will this new world be of blood and steel." Shor responded, he and Akatosh walked in different directions to their own realms of Aetherius.

 **AN- And there it is my first time writing in months and it feels good to be back. I know this one is a bit short but it is only an introductory to the story. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or leave them in a review because I will answer them. Anyways, remember to review, and I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN-Hey guys another chapter here this time I intend for it to be much longer. I was debating in my mind whether or not to wait a little bit to do this chapter but I decided to do it immediately. Anyways, remember to leave a review, and I hope you enjoy!**

 **A Guiding Hand**

 **Wolfswood, _285 AL-_** Pelinal slowly made his way towards the spot that was marked on his map, pushing past dead branches and looking for a clearing so he could get a better sense of his surroundings. As he finally made his way into the open, he found himself atop a hill, and with quite a sight in front of him. The mighty castle of Winterfell, in all it's glory. As Pelinal took a step closer to him, a blast of cold wind caused him to shiver. The sensation was odd, and foreign to him, as he had rarely had felt this way in his time as an immortal in his past life.

"Odd, in a way it hurts, but more than anything I feel discomfort." The former knight thought to himself, as he moved forward, only for the wind to blow harder. Pelinal then turned to face the direction of the wind, and immediately it began to slow. Believing it to be a sign, Pelinal walked in that direction as the wind slowed or sped up depending if he strayed of the unmarked path he followed. Eventually, he found himself in front of a small cottage, that was in good condition, and well made. Pelinal made his way to the door, and on attempting to open it he found it locked.

"Damn, the key has to be here somewhere." He said aloud as he looks for the key. He walked away from away from the cottage, and made his way to a small drop off that was right above a small stream near the cottage, that somehow managed to stay liquid. As Pelinal approached it, he saw a light glinting off something made of metal. He smiled as he got closer and saw it was the key. Next to it he saw a small baby owl, which seemed to have fallen from its nest in a near by tree. Pelinal went to pick up the key, but startled the chick, who stumbled backwards. As he was about to fall into the river, Pelinal reached out and scooped him up, accidentally knocking the key into the river. As Whitestrake cursed under his breath, the owl cooed and chirped all while moving his head in the direction of the tree, and more specifically the hole in it where its nest was. Pelinal sighed and carried the young bird to the tree, and placed it back in its nest. The owl pushed its head around in its bedding before tapping something with its beak, that let off a metallic noise. Confused and curious, Pelinal reached inside, and pulled out another key. Pelinal smiled and left the young owl alone as he went back to the cottage, and opened the door with the key.

"So this is my home now, it seems." He thought as he examined the cottage, looking over his new abode. It had a bed large enough to fit two people to his right, and a small dinner table with four seats to his left. In the center was a fire place with both a cooking spit and a pot. Pelinal put some logs of wood he had found inside the the fire place, and lit it with a flint he found on the table, so he could get some warmth. He continued looking around, and found a cabinet in one of the corners, with a key and a note, laying on top of a chest next to it. He unfolded the note and read it aloud to himself.

"When you are ready, the light of the Nine shall once again shine upon you." He read, as he used the key on the cabinet. He opened it and nearly fell backwards as he saw what it contained. His armor and weapons, all here in front of him. Pelinal was horrified though as he knew from the moment he saw them they had lost all their divine power. In anger he took the note he had and through it into the fire. He then opened up the chest, and found multiple amulets of each of the Divines. Pelinal picked up the first one he could find, and once again made his way to the fire. As he went to toss it in, he felt compelled to examine it. It was not like the others, as it felt Nordic unlike the others which had a more Nedic feel.

"Shor...father." Pelinal whispered to himself as he pulled his arm away from the fire. He then walked back over to the chest and pulled out the amulets, placing one of each amulet on the wall. He fastened an Amulet of Akatosh to his neck and one of Shor around his left wrist. He then looked under his bed, and found a hunting bow with a quiver of arrows, a small dagger, a purse of money, and a pile of books, all about the history and culture of Westeros and Essos. The Crusader began to read the books, slowly learning all he could about this world, its current Lords, its past heroes and villains, and everything in between. He found himself fascinated at how alike Nirn was to this world in some ways, yet completely different in other ways. There were no Elves or Beast Folk, and magic seemed to have faded from Westeros long ago, but was still seen and prevalent in Essos. This new world fascinated him to no end, and Pelinal continued to read book after book through the night.

 **Next Morning-** Pelinal awoke on the floor, surrounded by the books he had read through. He sat up, and heard his stomach growl, and felt how dry his mouth was. He stood up and grabbed the bow and arrows, along with a bucket for water. He made his way out of his home, and to the creek. He scooped some water into his mouth, and was surprised by how fresh it was. He then scooped up some with the bucket, and brought it back to the house.

"Hmm, I should go hunt." He thought to himself. He walked into the forest, and began looking for animal tracks. He spotted some holes on the ground, and coupled with the droppings near them, led Pelinal to believe their were rabbits nearby. He continued his slow movement, following the small tracks left by the rabbits. He spotted one nibbling on some plants. He quickly pulled out his bow, and knocked and arrow back. Taking in a deep breath he lined up a shot, and while he exhaled he released the arrow, which struck the rabbit through the eye. He walked over to the small animal and skinned it, afterwards he gut it and brought it back home to cook and eat. After his breakfast, Pelinal decided to go exploring some more, and to see if he could bag anymore game. After catching a squirrel and another rabbit, he heard thunder and decided to go back home. Before he could turn back though, he heard shouts and cries for help, coming from the direction of the road.

"What in Oblivion is going on?" He said to himself, as he ran in the direction of the sounds. The closer he got, the more evident it was that fighting was happening, as he could hear the familiar clatter of weapons, a sound that made his blood hot with passion. Pelinal reached the road, and found saw what was happening. Two groups wee fighting, one was dressed in all furs and leather and wielding primitive weapons. From what Pelinal had read he assumed them to be wildlings. He looked to the other, which appeared to be a guard of some type, standing side by side with who the Crusader assumed to be their Lord. The wildlings had the lord and his guards outnumbered three to one, and were slowly encircling him.

"Protect Lord Stark!" One of the guards yelled to his comrades. Pelinal recognized the name from his books, and remembered how Lord Stark was considered an honorable man and a good ruler. Pelinal immediately shot one of the wildlings, and then jumped into the fray, grabbing a fallen guard's sword.

"For the Nine!" He shouted as he thrust the blade into one of the wildlings, before grabbing the hand of another and swiftly breaking it. The Stark guards took advantage of the shock of the wildlings, also attacking them. Lord Stark also fought, killing two wildlings. He turned to face Pelinal, who's fighting prowess impressed and surprised him greatly.

"By the Gods! Who is he?" He exclaimed as Pelinal parried strikes from four wildlings at once. Pelinal grabbed the spear of one of them, and guided it into the stomach of another, before smacking the former in the face with the pommel of the sword., breaking the man's nose. He then parried a strike of an axe, before disarming the wildling in one fluid motion. He turned to face the last one that fought him, as she jumped on top of him. Pelinal used her momentum to push her off, before grabbing the sword and flipping it around. When she lunged at him again, he bashed her on the top of the head with the cross guard, killing her. As the guards finished up the rest of the still attacking wildlings. Pelinal turned to face Lord Eddard, who was approaching him, Pelinal remembered the custom of Westeros, and knelt on one knee, though his pride made it hard.

"My Lord." Pelinal said. Ned smiled and chuckled.

"There is no need for you to kneel, you have saved my life stranger." He said. Pelinal was surprised but happy, and stood up.

"Thank you, my lord. I had heard fighting from the forest where I was hunting." Pelinal responded.

"It's a good thing you came, or my men and I may have lost our lives. May I ask your name?" Ned questioned.

"Pelinal Whitestrake, my lord." The Crusader responded.

"Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, it is good to meet you." Ned said, extending his hand. Pelinal smiled and shook the Lord's hand.

"Likewise, my Lord." He said. Before they could continue to talk, they heard a loud clap of thunder, which caused Ned to frown.

"We'll never make it back to Winterfell before that storm hits." Eddard said.

"I have a cottage near here. You and your men can spend the night if you want, my Lord." Pelinal suggested, pointing in the direction of his home.

"Thank you, Pelinal. Lead the way." Ned answered. Pelinal nodded and began to lead Lord Stark and his guards to the cottage.

 **Later, at the Cottage-** Eddard and his men settled into the small cottage, while Pelinal made a stew out of the game he had killed. Ned found himself curious about both Pelinal, whose white hair reminded him of the Targaryens, and of the strange talismans on the walls. As Pelinal served bowls of stew, Eddard decided to dig into his past.

"I take it you're not from Westeros, Pelinal." He stated. Pelinal didn't say anything for a second, but then sighed.

"No, I'm from Essos originally." He lied.

"Hmm that would explain the hair color. Is that where you learned to fight?" Ned asked.

"Aye, I fought for many years across the Narrow Sea." Pelinal answered.

"So why did you come to Westeros then?" One of the guards asked.

"Well, before I left had just fought in a rebellion of slaves. A good friend of mine, Morihaus, fell in love with the leader of the rebellion, a former slave named Alessia and fought as her champion. Once I heard of the rebellion and his involvement, I jumped in and decided to fight the slave masters as well. After the war I moved here, hoping that my days as a soldier were done." Pelinal said, fabricating a new life for himself.

"And those symbols on the wall, are they from Essos?" Ned asked. Pelinal nodded, as he became comfortable with telling stories.

"Yes, they are the symbols of my gods, the Nine Divines." He said. One of the guards perked up, and began listening.

"Your gods? What are they like?" He asked. Pelinal sighed and gave a long explain of the Nine Divines that he had amulets of. He described the evil and wickedness of Daedra and Oblivion, along with the good and beautiful realm of Aetherius, where the Aedra resided, and where our mortal souls go after death. Only Eddard and the one guard listened, the former out of curiosity and politeness, while the latter seemed truly enraptured. Pelinal's make shift sermon was interrupted by one of the other gods.

"Oh shut up about your gods, crazy foreigner. To Seven Hells with your Shor and Akatosh!" He said. Pelinal turned to face the man, his eyes burning with rage. In one quick motion Pelinal grabbed him and held him up by the neck of his chain mail.

"If we weren't in Westeros I would be braking a lot more than Guest Right in a few seconds." He said angrily. One of the guards placed his hand on his sword, ready to strike.

"Pelinal, put him down! I will deal with my man for disrespecting you in your own home." Ned said. Pelinal sighed and dropped the guard who scurried to the door.

"I'll keep watch." He said, fear evident in his voice as he went outside.

"I apologize for his actions, Pelinal. He will be dealt with when I return to Winterfell." Eddard said. Pelinal nodded, but before he could speak, a scream was heard from outside. Pelinal and Ned ran to the windows, and saw the guard laid dead in front of the door, full of arrows. They saw over twenty figures exiting the forest.

"Wildlings!" Ned exclaimed grabbing his sword. Pelinal sighed and grabbed a key from his pocket, before walking over to the cabinet.

"I may not be ready, but I do need these. Gods guide me, gods guide us all." He said, opening the cabinet.

 **AN- And that's chapter 2! So glad I am back So in case you don't notice, I replaced Talos with Shor in the Nine, as Talos wasn't around and Shor said to be the original Ninth Divine by Alessia. Anyways, remember to leave a review, and I hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN- Hey guys another chapter here. I just want to thank everyone for the support so far as I definitely appreciate it. Anyways remember to always R &R and I hope you enjoy!**

 **Awakening**

 **Wolfswood, _285 AL_ \- **Pelinal worked quickly to put himself into his armor, pulling on the Divine relics as he constantly glanced out the window. In his first life twenty poorly armed and trained men and women wouldn't be too hard to defeat. Now though, he would have to be much more careful.

"Damn, they're surrounding the cottage." Pelinal as he strapped his shield to his back, and grabbed his mace in his left hand and sword in his right. Just then a barrage of arrows came through the windows, hitting one of the guards in the leg. Pelinal rushed over to the man and tied a piece of cloth round his leg and above the wound.

"What do we do now, my Lord?" Another guard asked. Ned thought for a moment and then sighed.

"We'll have to face them before they decide to burn this place down." He said, drawing his sword. Pelinal was silent for a moment, before he flipped the table onto it's side and put it so it was facing the door. He then handed his bow and quiver to the injured guard, before dragging the man behind the table.

"You will cover us from there archers, while staying in cover yourself. I will open the door, but no one leave through it until I give the signal. Does everyone get it?" He said, glancing outside and seeing the encroaching wildlings.

"Got it, but what's the signal?" Ned asked. Pelinal smiled wickedly before putting his helmet on.

"You'll know it when you see it. Now everyone hide so they can't see you" He answered. Eddard nodded and he and his men hid in the cottage. Pelinal then stayed to the left side of the door as he slowly opened it. As soon as the door opened multiple arrows flew in, striking the flipped over table. The wildlings, confused since they could not see anyone, moved in closer, and tried to glance through the door and windows. Suddenly, Pelinal crashed sword first through the window closet to himself, and into the wildling in front of it.

"Now!" He screamed as he parried a strike from another wildling with his sword, before striking her in the chest with the mace. An arrow flew out of the house and struck one of the wildling archers in the neck. Eddard and the uninjured guards rushed out of the door, taking the wildlings by surprise, cutting them down with ease as Pelinal acted like a whirling vortex, slashing,stabbing and smashing anything in sight, and the injured guard continuously shot arrows at the wildlings. As the fight continued, Ned noticed the wind pick up, along with thunder and the feeling of freezing rain on his skin. Before he could order his men inside, one of the guards turned to him.

"Look out my Lord!" The man yelled. Eddard turned around, and saw an archer about to loose an arrow in his direction. Ned blinked, and when his eyes opened the tip of the arrow was in his face, along with Pelinal's left hand grasping the shaft. The Crusader threw the arrow to the ground, and pulled his shield off his back and onto his left arm.

"Thanks, do they teach you that in Essos?" Ned said, finding himself back to back with Pelinal as he parried a stab from a wildling spear.

"No, they don't. I don't mean to brag, but I was born to fight." Pelinal said with a grin as he blocked a wildling's axe with his shield, and thrust his sword through the man's neck.

"I can see that. What happened to your mace?" Eddard asked, as he slashed the gut of a wildling. Pelinal turned to the Lord, with a mad glint in his eyes.

"Currently it rests in the chest of that wildling that tried to shoot you." He said, as he dodged an attack from a wildling with a dagger, and brought his shield down on her head.

"Wait, did you throw it?" Ned asked, a bit baffled by the idea. Pelinal shrugged, as he parried a strike from a wildling, and Ned finished him off with a stab through the chest.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Pelinal responded, as he put his sword through the knee of one wildling, and his shield into the face of another.

"Most people wouldn't throw a mace." Eddard stated, as he finished off a downed wildling.

"No, but I'm not most people." Pelinal said, as he blocked an arrow with his shield, before bringing his sword down to a wildling's shoulder. He grabbed the spear the man used, and through it at the archer, hitting her in the gut. Ned couldn't help but have a small smile.

"No, you are definitely not." He said, as he looked over the wildlings, who were now running away.

"We won my lord!" One of the guards exclaimed, more than happy to still be alive.

"Yes, we did. Thanks to our gracious host. I'm sorry about the damage to your home." Eddard said, pointing to the house, which had lost both windows and was riddled with arrows and blood stains.

"Thank you, my lord, and don't worry about the house, I'll think of something to do." Pelinal said, walking over to a dead wildling archer and recovering his mace, before looking over the damage to his new home.

"Pelinal, you saved the lives of me and my men twice over now. I feel you deserve a reward." Eddard responded. Pelinal turned to face him, now a bit curious.

"What type of reward?" Pelinal asked.

"I would like to knight you, as well as offer you bed and food at my castle for as long as you live." Ned said, greatly surprising Pelinal.

"But, don't I have to follow the New Gods to be knighted?" He asked, as that is what he had read in his books.

"In wartime, soldiers whose deeds rise above and beyond expectations may be knighted, regardless of their religion. This may not be war, but you have shown courage and fighting prowess above anything I would have expected from a stranger. You have earned this, more so than many knights of the South." Ned answered. Pelinal thought for a moment, before removing his helmet and kneeling down.

"I accept, my lord." He said. Eddard unsheathed his sword, and laid it on Pelinal's right shoulder.

"I have to admit, I don't want to stay in the rain too long, so I'll make this quick." Eddard said, chuckling.

"As you say, my lord." Pelinal said with a smile.

"Do you swear to defend the weak and innocent?" Ned said, moving the sword to the other shoulder.

"I do." Pelinal answered.

"Do you swear to protect women and children?" Eddard recited, moving the sword back to the right shoulder.

"I do" Pelinal said again.

"Do you swear behave fair and honorably?" Eddard said, moving the sword to the left shoulder.

"I do." Pelinal replied.

"And finally, do you swear to obey your liege lord?" Ned said, moving the sword one last time.

"I do" Pelinal respond.

"Then I dub you Ser Pelinal Whitestrake. Rise now Ser, and let's retire for the night." Eddard said, with a chuckle.

"Agreed, my lord." Pelinal said, as he and Eddard walked back into the cottage. Before they could get comfortable and ready to sleep, Pelinal walked over to the wall, and pulled of the amulet of Kynareth, and handed it to the guard who was using the bow.

"That was good shooting. It is said that Kyne favors the archer, perhaps her hand was guiding a few of those arrows." Pelinal said, before leaving the guard to his thoughts.

 **Next Day, Gates of Winterfell-** A heavily pregnant Catlyn Stark looks out into the open fields in front of her, searching for even a glimpse of her husband. She became quite worried when Eddard had not arrived the previous day, as he was meant to. Because of this, she spent most of the day waiting on the wall for any sign of Eddard. She was broken from her thoughts when Ser Rodrik Cassel, Master-at-Arms of the castle, walks up to her.

"My Lady, you should be resting now." He says, trying to convince her to come inside.

"I will rest when my husband is safe and home" She says.

"My lady, your lord husband is one of the toughest men I know. A storm won't stop him from coming home." Rodrik says. Catlyn smiled at this, feeling a bit reassured. Suddenly a guard from one of the turrets yelled.

"My Lady, I see horses approaching!" He said. Catlyn turned to face the field again, and could see figures in the distance.

"Thank the gods. Ser Rodrik, tell the boys their father is home." She said, going down to the front gates.

"Of course, my lady." He responded, leaving to find Jon and Robb.

 **Winterfell Gates-** Eddard, Pelinal, and the guards, arrived in front of the gate, and dismounted their horses. Eddard quickly was hugged by Robb and Jon, while Catelyn waddled behind them due to her pregnancy.

"Gods, what happened to you Ned, and who is this man?" She said, noting how tired and grimy he looked, as she pointed to Pelinal.

"Wildlings ambushed us, if it were not for Ser Pelinal here, I may have not made it home." Eddard replied as his sons hugged him. Cat turned to face Pelinal.

"Thank Ser, you have my gratitude. If my husband hasn't already, I would offer you a bed and food." She said, looking over the strange man.

"There is no need to thank me, my Lady. I did as any man should do." He replied.

"That is still more than many men do. I will have servants bring your belongings to your room. After you have changed into more comfortable attire, you can meet us in the dining room and discuss what has happened." She said, calling for a servant to grab Pelinal's belongings, as she turned and left very quickly in the direction of the dining room.

"For a pregnant woman she sure does move fast" Pelinal thought to himself as he followed the servant who was walking to his room.

 **Winterfell Dining Halls-** Pelinal was in heaven, as he sat at a large table, filled to the brim with venison, boar, sausage, and any type of meat he could ever dream of. After changing into a quilted doublet and some pants and telling Cat and the rest of the castle members his story along what had happened with the wildlings, he found himself staring at his food like he was some type of predator and it was his prey. Pelinal hadn't had a meal this good since before he joined the war, and he wouldn't let it go to waist. As he chowed down, he couldn't help but forget his tact, though he was not a horrible brute at least. Pelinal looked around the hall, and noticed all the eyes on him.

"Sorry, been a while since I ate so well." He said sheepishly.

"No need to apologize, Ser. You are free to live here as long as you need to." Eddard responded.

"Thank you, my lord. I can only think of one way to repay you for your kindness." Pelinal replied, pushing his plate aside.

"And what is that, Ser?" Catelyn asked. Pelinal stood up from his seat, before walking over to Lord and Lady Stark. He kneeled before them, and laid his sword across his knee.

"I offer my service to you. My sword, my shield, and my life, if necessary. All of them are tools at your disposal." He said. Eddard thought for a moment, before smiling.

"I accept your service, Ser Pelinal. As long as you hold to House Stark and the people of the North, you shall be welcome in Winterfell. You may not follow the Gods of the south, but I would count you as equal to any of the southern knights." Ned said.

"You do me honor, my Lord. I will retire to my quarters for the night, my lord and lady." Pelinal said. After Ned nodded, the knight turned and left the room

"Cat, is something off about this?"Ned asked his wife, who nodded.

"Yes, something is different about him, and he is certainly mysterious." Cat replied.

"Not just that, but I feel changes are coming." Her husband said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I don't know how exactly, but I can tell that the Seven Kingdoms will never be the same." He said, looking in the direction of Pelinal's room. Unknown to all, forces unlike Westeros had ever seen watched over.

" _Well, isn't this an odd one. This idea of putting someone who was torn to eight pieces back together in a new word is just ...crazy! Ha! And that's saying something coming from me."_ An entity appearing to be an older gentleman with a cane and an exaggerated Scottish said.

" _Pelinal was a thorn in my side during his time on Nirn, perhaps now I can pay him back?"_ Another entity spoke, this one being a woman surrounded by a blinding light.

" _Perhaps, but soon the others will know as well, we just were the first to take notice. No matter, all that can be promised is the only inevitabilities in any world. Destruction, and change."_ The final, devilish entity spoke, as he stared down wickedly at the Seven Kingdoms.

 **AN- And this chapter is done. I had you all thinking this chapter was happy, then I went "BOOM BITCH!" and brought in Daedra. To be honest, they were the first three Daedra I could think of, so yeah... Besides that I know those aren't the correct knight's oaths but Ned is being a top bloke and not making Pelinal do anything about gods he doesn't follow. Anyways, I know this took a little long, sorry for that, but remember to leave a review, and I hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN-Hey guys another chapter here. As some people have guessed, there is a timeskip between this chapter and the last. Anyways, remember to leave a review, and I hope you enjoy!**

 **Dark Wings, Dark Words**

 **Winterfell, _289 AL_ \- **Pelinal awoke in his room and immediately sat up. He was in a cold sweat again, and he was panting, as he had almost every other night for the past few years since he arrived at the capital of the North and had went into the service of House Stark. This dream had been about Huna, the slave who Pelinal had trained to become a hoplite after freeing her. His heart ached every time he thought of how quick her end was, or of his madness that followed her death.

"Oh Akatosh, why plague me with these dreams." Pelinal said out loud as he stood up and went over to the dresser.

"The pain of dreams is one thing, my child. But pain of memories, and visions of things yet to be, those are something else." A voice said. Pelinal knew this was the divine voice of Akatosh, as he had spoken to the divines once a day every day since his service began. Pelinal sighed and said no more, as the gods spoke once a day. He remembered how for a while it nearly drove him crazy, but now it became a part of life. Pelinal and pulled on his clothes, before looking at the mirror. He adjusted his clothes, making sure the scars on his body were out of sight.

"Memories are best left forgotten." He thought as he grabbed his sword and walked out the door and to the courtyard. He smiled as he saw Robb Stark, heir to Winterfell, playing with his half brother Jon. The two were sword fighting with sticks, and were occasionally throwing a snowball at each other. He saw Lady Catlyn watching the two as she held baby Bran in her arms, and the toddler Arya played with a toy on the ground. Cat caught sight of the knight and gave a warm smile.

"Good morning Ser." She greeted.

"Good morning my lady, did you sleep well?" He responded politely.

"As well as I could with this bunch. How about you, Ser? " She asked. Pelinal sighed and sat down next to her.

"I could sleep well, if the gods allowed me a night without dreams." He said. Before Cat could ask more, Bran reached out and grabbed some of Pelinal's hair.

"I believe he likes your hair." Catelyn said, trying not to laugh. Arya looked up and giggled at the them.

"It seems so. I happen to remember two little girls who liked to grab it too." Pelinal said, looking pointedly at Arya, who just giggled.

"I swear we could make toys out of it if we wanted to." Catelyn joked, causing Pelinal to chuckle.

"Aye, Sansa would love it for her dolls. Speaking of which, where is she?" He asked, not seeing the eldest Stark girl.

"She's with her Septa now, practicing her needlework" Cat answered.

"Ah, of course. I sometimes forget how different the Seven Kingdoms are from my old home." Pelinal responded.

"You don't really talk much about your old home. What was it like? How were people different?" Cat asked. Pelinal sighed and thought for a moment.

"Well, women are equal to men, much like in Dorne. They can rule, fight, become a scholar, and artist, a healer, and anything else a man can be. In fact the side of the war I had fought on was commanded by a Queen, named Alessia." He said.

"It does sound strange, but also a bit interesting, if I do say so myself." Catelyn said. Before they could continue, Maester Luwin walked up to them, looking very grim and serious.

"My Lady, I have a letter, from King's Landing." He said, causing both Lady Catelyn and Pelinal to stand up. She handed Bran to the Maester and took the letter. After reading for a few seconds she gasped.

"What is it, My Lady?" Pelinal asked.

"Balon Greyjoy has crowned himself King of the Iron Island! His brothers Euron and Victarion led an attack on Lannisport, and burned the Lannister fleet at anchor! " Cat exclaimed, falling back in her chair.

"By the Divines, this means war!" Pelinal shouted. Little did anyone know, a deep hidden part of him smiled inside.

"Yes, it does. Lord Eddard should be returning from The Dreadfort later today. I would suggest that we ready some men while we wait for his orders." Luwin said.

"You're right Maester. Ser Rodrik and I shall ready the men,and ourselves." Pelinal said. Catelyn nodded, and the knight left to go inform the men of the news.

 **Later-** Pelinal sat in his room, staring at the mirror and muttering a prayer to each of the Gods. He had his armor on, his weapons at his waist, his shield on his back, and his helmet in his lap. Lord Eddard had arrived a few hours ago, and had opted to head to King's Landing to meet with King Robert. The banners had already been called and would meet with the Stark men at The Neck. Lord Stark would travel with Ser Rodrik and the bulk of the host tomorrow. Pelinal was to lead 50 men to Seagard as soon as he was ready, as it was a likely target. As Pelinal quietly prayed to himself, he heard a soft knocking on his door.

"Come in." He said. The door slowly opened, and in walked tiny Sansa, looking a bit nervous.

"Hello, Ser Pelinal." She said. Pelinal was a bit surprised to see the little girl here.

"Hello Lady Sansa, what brings you here?" He asked.

"I heard that you are leaving today. So I made you something." She answered, as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small cloth, which had the red diamond that was on Pelinal's armor embroidered on it.

"Thank you Sansa, I'll make sure to keep this safe." He said with a smile, ruffling her hair. Sansa giggled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before running off. He chuckled at the little girl, but then felt a chill go down his spine.

" _I remember a time when you were the second most powerful mad god I knew on Nirn. It seems you don't Pelinal."_ A disembodied voice spoke. Pelinal reached for his sword, and looked around the room.

"Who's there?" He questions, drawing the sword.

" _Why, it's me! The FIRST most powerful mad god!"_ The voice said, before the image of an older gentleman with yellow, cat-like eyes, appeared before him, smiling with a cane in his hands.

"Sheogorath! You can not be here!" Pelinal exclaimed, shocked by the mad god's presence.

" _Wrong! Well, not entirely. See, I am Sheogorath, but I am also here, as are the others. You didn't think a hole to a new dimension would go unnoticed, did you?"_ Sheogorath said, grinning ominously.

"By the Divines no! I will not let the Daedra ruin this world!" The crusader said, slashing at the Daedric Prince, but only passing through him.

" _Now Pelinal, that is the same thing that got you killed, isn't it? Besides, the pact between Alessia and old dragon face affects this world too."_ Sheogorath said, sounding annoyed.

"So the world is safe from your evil. Good, now leave me be!" Pelinal said, sheathing his sword.

" _Safe? Oh no, far from it in fact. See, we can no longer directly affect this world, but we can still spread some fun through our shrines and artifacts"_ The mad god said, twirling around his cane, which turned into a staff.

"Wait, you have shrines? How long have you been here?" Pelinal asked. Sheogorath chuckled, and took a step forward, so he was uncomfortably close.

" _About as long as you. During this time we've all had our fun. Clavicus and Barbas had a fight, Dagon got some sacrifices, I personally got some crazies to spread "merriment" through an entire town!"_ He said, laughing.

"If all this is true, why tell me?" Pelinal questioned.

" _Simple, I just wanted to thank you. After all, your penance was what brought us here. So go now and fight in your silly war. Just know we're all watching."_ Sheogorath said, before disappearing in a puff o smoke. Pelinal sighed, and grabbed his sword and helmet, before walking out of the door, and down to the courtyard. He walked to his horse, which was saddled and ready, as were his men. As he strapped his sword and mace to the animal, Lord Eddard walked up to him.

"Ser Pelinal, are you ready?" Ned asked.

"Aye, I'm ready my lord" Pelinal said, as he got on top of his horse.

"Are you sure? You look pale." Eddard stated. Pelinal sighed and turned to face his lord.

"I'm fine, just wondering how trouble always finds me." He said. Eddard patted the knight's back.

"Well, you happen to be very good at dealing with this type of trouble." He reassured.

"You're right, my lord. I'll just do what I do best." Pelinal said, a familiar smirk on his face.

"You'll have the Ironborn shaking in their boots. Goodbye, and good luck Ser." Ned said.

"Goodbye my lord, have fun with King Robert." Pelinal joked, before riding out off the gate, his men following him.

 **Riverlands, 1 Week Later-** Pelinal's horse trotted forward, as he and the men road through the flat, fertile Riverlands. Pelinal and the men had been riding most of the day, as the Divine Crusader knew that before the day was out the Ironborn would attack Seagard. As he admired the beautiful country side, he heard the screeches of sea birds, and noticed the salt smell in the air.

"We're getting close men! Let's pick up the pace!" He shouted back at the soldiers, before kicking the side of his horse, causing the animal to run forward. As the horses galloped forward, the town and castle of Seagard became visible. In a matter of less then ten minutes, they were in front of the gate, with the guards looking them over.

"Halt! State your name and business in the city." One of the guards said.

"I am Ser Pelinal Whitestrake, and we are men dispatched by Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell to help with the defense of Seagard." Pelinal answered, grabbing his weapons and helmet. The guards seemed to sigh in relief, before one of them motioned to the others.

"Good, we could use all the help we could get. Ser Pelinal, you should speak to Lord Mallister in the keep." Another guard recommended. Pelinal nodded, dismounted his horse, and headed through the town on foot. As he looked around, he saw everyone, soldier and civilian, preparing for the siege. Pelinal soon found himself in front of the keep, where Lord Jason Mallister was going over defense plans with his men. He turned to face Pelinal, and stuck out his hand.

"Ser Pelinal, you and your men are appreciated. I'll have to give my thanks to Lord Eddard when I next see him, since the Ironborn will be here soon. " He said. Pelinal grasped his hand and firmly shook it.

"Indeed, so where do you want the men to post up?" He asked. Jason thought for a moment, before pointing towards the west.

"There, since I can take some of my less experienced men off fighting duty and have them help with keeping fire under control and refilling catapults." He answered. Pelinal nodded, and his men followed the orders and headed off in that direction. Before Pelinal could speak, one of the guards ran up, panting.

"My Lord, Ironborn ships have been spotted! They will be here in only a few minutes!" The man said.

"Damn! Ser Pelinal, I want you on the front lines, I'll coordinate the attack from here." Jason ordered.

Pelinal nodded, putting his helmet on, before mounting his horse and heading to the shore.

As Pelinal got closer, large rocks began to bombard the town, as the Ironborn launched their attack. The knight made his way to the shore, where the first ships of the Iron Fleet landed. As the defending soldiers charged at the Ironborn pouring off their ships, Pelinal was in front, slashing with his sword at the few Iron Islanders who managed to get close to him. After taking a few down, Pelinal jumped off his horse, and pulled out his mace and wielded it in his left hand and had his sword in his right. He parried a blow from an axe with his sword, and brought the mace down on the man's head. He then slashed at another rebel's throat, before striking one of them in the sternum with his mace. Pelinal then turned to see a large Ironborn man wearing plate armor and swinging around a large battle axe.

"Well aren't you a show off?" Pelinal said with a smirk. The man swung the large axe at the knight, who ducked underneath it. Pelinal struck at him with his sword, but even his joints were too well protected to pierce. Pelinal sighed and sheathed his sword, putting his shield in his left hand and his mace in his right.

"Stop moving you damn greenlander!" The man shouted, swinging down at Pelinal, who blocked it with his shield. Pelinal grinned and slammed his mace into the giant man's leg, audibly snapping the bone. The man shrieked, and Pelinal brought his shield into the now hobbled man's nose, breaking it.

"Seems all that muscle was useless, wasn't it?" The knight said, before bringing down his mace onto the man's chest plate, ending his life. Pelinal sighed, and felt how sore his left arm was. He went to block another Ironborn's attack, but pain shot through his arm. Pelinal struck the man on the top of the head, killing him instantly, before putting his shield on his back, and switching his mace for his sword. Pelinal grinned as another group of rebel rowboats made landfall, as he ran to the one closest to him and jumped in, slashing and stabbing at the men, who were caught off guard by the Divine Crusader. After killing or incapacitating the men, Pelinal hoped to the next boat of Ironborn like an animal. Some of the Riverlands men noticed his ferocity, and felt the raw power emanating off him.

"By the Gods what is he?" One of the soldiers asked out loud. The others had nothing to say and just continued to fight the ever shrinking horde of Ironborn.

"Divines damn all of you! I'll send you and your damned Drowned God to Sovngarde!" Pelinal screamed as he slashed the throat of one rebel, before flipping his sword around and striking another with the pommel, cracking his jaw. As Pelinal turned to face his next opponent, but found no one there. He looked around and saw that the Ironborn were in full retreat. As Pelinal got off the boat, a sudden exhaustion he was not familiar with came over him.

"So this is how fighting a battle as a mortal feels like." he thought to himself as he sheathed his sword. He walked over to a group of Lord Mallister's men.

"Ser Pelinal, we won! Lord Jason slew Balon's eldest son in personal combat, and your men helped repel the attack!" One of the soldiers said, very happy to be alive. Pelinal sighed and took off his helmet, feeling no need to wear it right now.

"Good, inform said men that we shall remain at Seagard at Lord Jason's disposal until I receive further orders from Lord Stark. I'll head up to the castle and speak with him, and if they want to know where I am after that, the answer is probably drinking some mead at the tavern" He said with a smile, before heading off. As Pelinal headed off, some of the guards wondered about the Divines Pelinal had screamed about while fighting.

"We'll have to ask him later at the tavern I suppose." One of them said. The others nodded and continued in the post battle clean up which would be long and tedious.

 **AN- And this chapter is done! I am so sorry it took so long for this, but personal things came up along with school and well writing went on the back burner. Posts will take some time from now on so I do apologize for that. I made the chapter longer to make up for it, but I'm not sure if this is gonna be the norm or not. Anyways, remember to leave a review, and as always, I hope you enjoyed!**


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